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Startup develops blood test for endometriosis: Heranova Lifesciences, a Boston-based startup led by Chief Medical Officer Farideh Bischoff and Co-Founded by Penny Wan, has introduced a blood test called HerResolve for endometriosis that may present an alternative to surgical diagnosis. The test uses machine learning to analyze biomarkers and is as accurate as the current standard, which involves laparoscopic surgery. In the future, the company plans to develop a nonsurgical therapeutic for endometriosis.

First Alzheimer’s patient receives nasal spray treatment: A 79-year-old is the first person with Alzheimer’s disease to receive an experimental nasal spray treatment containing the monoclonal antibody foralumab, designed to reduce brain inflammation associated with the disease. The therapy, which is also being tested for multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and COVID-19, has shown promising results in decreasing inflammation, but its impact on cognitive functions is uncertain.

How anglerfish helped launch the GLP-1 drug revolution: The discovery of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which now forms the basis of transformative drugs for diabetes and obesity, is largely credited to serendipitous research involving anglerfish in the late 1970s. Due to a federal moratorium on recombinant DNA research with warm-blooded animals at the time, researchers pivoted to the cold-blooded anglerfish, whose distinct separation of endocrine and exocrine tissues unexpectedly enabled the isolation of proglucagon peptides, including GLP-1.

Biden’s cancer diagnosis follows years of advocacy: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a deeply personal development in a lifelong marked by cancer. After losing his son Beau to brain cancer, Biden made fighting the disease a focus of his political legacy, leading a White House cancer task force as Vice President and later reviving the Cancer Moonshot initiative as president to accelerate research and improve treatment.

Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI) Senior Editor explores the large looming shadow of Elizabeth Holmes as her partner’s blood testing startup emerges from stealth mode.

GLP-1 agonists halve risk of obesity-related cancers: A study published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine showed that GLP-1 receptor agonists nearly halved the risk of obesity-related cancers and offered protection comparable to bariatric surgery, despite less weight loss. Experts call the findings transformational, pointing to the anti-inflammatory effects of these drugs and urging large-scale trials to explore their potential in cancer prevention.

Jumping mice might help build stronger bones in astronauts: Mice undergoing jump training had healthier cartilage and stronger bones, suggesting that jumping exercises could help astronauts prevent cartilage damage during long missions. “The positive effect we saw in these mice is huge, and the magnitude of it was unexpected,” said Marco Chiaberge, Lead Author of the study in npj Microgravity

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it granted three (3) new color additive petitions that will expand the palette of available colors from natural sources for manufacturers to safely use in food.

One man’s immunity paves the way for a universal snake antivenom: Scientists have used antibodies from the blood of Tim Friede, a man who deliberately exposed himself to venomous snakebites, to develop a potential universal antivenom effective against multiple deadly species, according to a study in Cell. Over nearly two (2) decades, Friede built immunity by injecting himself with 650 doses of venom and enduring roughly 200 bites from 16 deadly snake species, experiencing severe reactions like anaphylaxis, hives and blackouts along the way.

Mouse study could help improve immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: Researchers are making progress toward sensitizing pancreatic cancer to immunotherapy, including with a recent mouse study that identified potential benefits from folinic acid treatment.